NASPA IDEA GRANTS

presented by the NASPA Advisory Board

Program Overview

Is there a creative endeavor you want to engage in that would benefit the NASPA SCRABBLE community? This is your chance to flex your creative muscles, innovate, and engage with NASPA’s financial backing.

The NASPA IDEA Grant supports creativity, innovation, original ideas, and service to the NASPA community. NASPA members may be granted up to $1500 to fund a new initiative.

Who can apply?

Any NASPA member or small group of members can apply for a NASPA IDEA grant.

What does participation look like?

Between now and August 2016…

Imagine - talk with club members, players in your region, or others who may help you brainstorm and refine your proposal.

Propose - write your proposal as described below. Deadline is 11:59pm EDT on June 30 2015. Winners will notified by email and will be announced at the NASC 2015.

Engage - follow through with your proposal over the next twelve months. You will be assigned an Advisory Board member who will support your progress.

Report - present information about your initiative and your progress to the Advisory Board no later than NASC 2016. Information will be shared with the membership at the NASC.

What should I include in my proposal?

Preference will be given to proposals that:

Present creative, innovative, original ideas with a realistic plan for carrying out the proposed project that can be accomplished within the calendar year. NASPA IDEA Grants will not be awarded to supplement a prize fund for a pre-existing tournament.

Clearly articulate the rationale for the project.

Explain the significance of the project in furthering NASPA’s mission: “We are a community of tournament, club and avid home players of the SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game. We foster an atmosphere for people of all skill levels to play their favorite game, improve their abilities and above all, meet people who share a similar love of the game.”

Proposals need not be limited to innovation within tournament or club structure.

Articulate the intended impact of the work proposed in compelling, but realistic, terms and specify the ways that the impact will be measured (if appropriate).

Engage individuals who have the skills to complete the proposed project (e.g., if you are proposing software, you should explain your qualifications for building that software).

Present a thoughtful and reasonable outline of the work to be done, a feasible timeline, and a reasonable and justified budget.

Design project outcomes (products, outputs) that will engage or serve an audience that is large or has significant need.

Would be unable to pursue the work proposed without the funding provided by NASPA.

How do I apply for funding?

Email the grant application to naspagrants@scrabbleplayers.org by 11:59pm EDT on June 30, 2015. Applicants can submit as many grant proposals as desired. Each application must include the following:

Timeline (no page limit): Please include a timeline for your project including start and end dates and a month by month listing of planned project milestones. Your timeline will be reviewed for the feasibility of completing the work proposed in the time available.

Budget (no page limit): Please include a project budget. Your budget should be a line by line estimate of the expenses required to complete your project and your rationale/justification for each expenditure.

Statement(s) of Support (one required, up to five accepted): Ask at least one other NASPA member to provide a short statement in support of your idea and your ability to see the initiative through to fruition. These may be submitted with the proposal or separately. If they are submitted separately, be sure that the author of the statement makes it clear which grant they are supporting.

Proposals should be sent in word doc or pdf format. All elements of the proposal (i.e., cover sheet, proposal, timeline and budget) should be sent as attachments to a single email except for the statements of support. The authors of the statements of support can give their statements to the grant applicant to submit with their materials, or they can email them directly to naspagrants@scrabbleplayers.org.

How will the review process work?

All NASPA IDEA Grant applications will be reviewed and evaluated for their quality by a Selection Committee consisting of NASPA Advisory Board members and interested players, chaired by Kate Fukawa-Connelly. No one who has submitted a grant application or written a statement of support will be eligible to be on the Selection Committee. First round of reviews will be done confidentially and anonymously if possible (reviewers will not receive the names of applicants, but if applicants include a lot of identifying information within the proposal, this may reveal their identity). The Selection Committee will review proposals during the month of July. Grant applicants may receive questions for clarification during this period and should be available to respond in a timely manner.

How will I find out if I was funded?

Awardees will be notified by email on August 2, and they will be announced at the 2015 North American SCRABBLE Championship in Reno. Up to three grants may be funded at amounts up to $1500 (grantees may not receive all funds that they request).